Automatic firearm.



Patented. July 11, 1916.

C. F. HUGHES.

AUTOMATIC FIREAHM.

APPLlcATloN man APR.12.1916.

CHARLES F. HUGHES, 0F VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA,

AUTOMATIC FIREAIRM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 11, 1916.

Application filed April 12, 1916. Serial No. 90,699.

T 0 all whom t may Concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES F. HUGHES, a citizen of the Dominion of Canada, residing at Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Firearms, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improvement in a self-loading firearm of that class wherein the recoil on the breech bolt of the shot fired is utilized to eject the empty shell, cock the hammer and compress the spring by which the breech bolt is returned with a fresh cartridge to the firing position. In firearms of this class, as at present used, although the recoil reloads the ride, the hammer is released to fire the shot by pressure of the finger on the trigger and while for ordinary use, this is a desirable condition, emergencies may arise wherein the firearm may be required to fire as well as to load automatically.

The improvement as set forth in the following specification is designed to afford a dual control of the hammerl whereby it may be released by momentary pressure on the trigger, -or automatically by return of the breech bolt to the firing position, if the trigger release is sustained.

The means by which this result is attained is fully set forth in the following specification, reference being made to the drawings by which it is accompanied, in which:

Figure 1 is a part section of a self-loading rifle, such as the Winchester, showing the hammer control in elevation. Figs. 2 and 3 are details in perspective of the trigger and supplementary sear, respectively, and Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4 4, with the hammer removed.

In these drawings 2 represents the breech bolt which contains the firing pin, and 3'the side members of the same which extend forwardly for connection to the recoil spring as shown, which side members are endwise movable on the side edges 9 of the trigger guard member 8; 4 is the breech of the barrel, chambered to receive the cartridge, and 5 is a portion of the receiver or casing secured to the barrel, within which casing the breech bolt 2 is endwise movable. 6 is the hammer which is pivotally mounted on its pin 7 in the trigger guard member 8.' The trigger 1s represented by 10 and the pin on which it is mounted by 11. The forwardly projecting end l2 of the trigger 10 engages, as at present, the Sear notch of the hammer 6 to retain it in the cocked position, the hammer being automatically cocked by the backward movement of the breech bolt 2 under the action of the recoil. Independently mounted on the trigger pin l1 is a supplementary automatic Sear lever which passes under the pin 7 of the hammer and alongside the lower part of it and the free end of this lever is upwardly and laterally olfset, as at 13, to project, under the action of a spring 14, above the upper edge 9 of the lock guard 8 and into a groove 15 provided for it along the inner under edge of the side 3 of the breech bolt so that this end 13 will be engaged and depressed by the y side 3 of the breech bolt at the termination 16 of its groove 15 when the breech lbolt attains its firing position, as shown in the full lines of the drawing. On the inner side of this sear lever 13 is a projection 17, the forward edge of which coincides with the forward edge of 12, so as to similarly engage the Sear notch of the hammer 6. The hammer may thus be retained in the cocked position by the end 12 of the trigger sear and by the projection 17 of the automatic sear, and each retaining means is independently operable to retain or release the hammer. The automatic sear is pressed down to free its projection 17 from engagement with the sear notch of the hammer only when the breech bolt is in the iring position, while the trigger engagement is retained unless the trigger is ressed to free it. Thus, if the trigger is pul ed to release its end l2 from engagement with the scar notch of the hammer 6 and the breech bolt is in the firing position, that is, at the forward limit of its movement, the hammer will fall to fire the shot, and if pressure is maintained on the trigger to hold its end 12 out of engagement with the Sear notch of the hammer, the recoil of the bolt 2 will throw back the hammer to the cocked position where it will be retained by the supplement-ary sear until the bolt is returned to the liring position by its recoil spring, but when that position is attained the supplementary sear 13 will be pressed down by engagement of the end 1G of the groove 15 and the hammer will again be released and this automatic cooking and release will continue until the last cartridge from lthe magazine is fired, or until pressure on the trigger is released when the hammer will be retained in the cocked position by the trigger projection l2, even when the automatic sear is depressed from such engagement by the breech bolt. If it is required to fire a single shot the trigger must be pressed and immediately released. Ther mechanism will then act as a self-loading and cooking firearm.

I do not desire to be confined to the particular construction of the trigger and supplementary sear as set forth in the specification and drawing herewith, as such may be varied to meet the requirements of the various arms; but claim as my invention the'v combination of a direct control of the hammer by the trigger and by a supplementary sear released by movement of the breech bolt to the liring position.

Having now particularly described my invention, I hereby declare that what I claim as new and desire to be protected in by Letters Patent, is:

l. In a firearm, the combination with a breech bolt endwise movable under the re coil of the shot fired and a hammer adapted to be moved tc the cocked position by tbe backward movement of the breech bolt, of means directly operable with the trigger for retaining the hammer in the cocked position, and means independent of the trigger for retaining the hammer in the cocked position, said means releasable by the breech bolt when that bolt is in its firing position.

2. In a firearm, the combination with a breech bolt endwise movable under the rei coil of the shot fired and a hammer adapted to be moved to the cocked position b v the backward movement of the breech bolt, of means directly operable with the vtrigger for retaining the hammer in the cocked position, a supplementary sear lever pivot` ally mounted to move independently of the trigger and adapted to engage the sear notch of the hammer and retain it in the cocked position, said lever adapted to be engaged by a part of the breech bolt when the same is in the firing position andrelease the supplementary sear from engagement with the Sear notch of the hammer.

3. In a. firearm, the combination with a breech bolt endwise movable under the re-` coil of the shot fired and a hammer adapted to be moved to the cocked position by the backward movement of the breech bolt, of means directly operable with the trigger for retaining the hammer in the cocked position, a supplementary sear lever pivot-ally mounted on the trigger pin to move independently of the trigger, said scar lever having provision to engage the scar notch of the hammer to retain it in the cocked position, the free end of said lever being upturned and laterally offset to project in the path of a portion of the breech bolt and to be engaged and depressed by it to release the hammer at the forward limit of the movement of the bolt.

4. In a firearm, the combination with a breech bolt endwise movable under the recoil of the shot red and a hammer adapted Y to be moved to the cocked position by the backward movement of t-he breech bolt, a trigger having an end forwardly projecting from the pin on which it is mounted and adapted to engage the sear notch of the hammer and retain the hammer in the cocked position, and a supplementary Sear independently mounted on the trigger pin and adapted to engage the sear notch of the hammer when the same is in the cocked position, said supplementary sear being produced beyond this engaging shoulder and upwardly turned and laterally offset to project into a groove in the side of the breech bolt and adapted to be pressed down bythe end of the groove to release the hammer when the bolt is at the forward limit of its movement.

5. In a rearm, the combination with a breech bolt endwise movable under the recoil of the shot fired and a hammer adapted to be moved to the cocked position by the backward movement of the breech bolt, of means for retaining the hammer in the cocked position, said means comprising a trigger having an end forwardly projectF ing from the trigger pin and adapted to engage the sear notch of the hammer, and a supplementary sear independently mounted on the same pin and adapted to engage the same Sear notch of the hammer to re tain it in the cocked position and provision for yieldingly projecting the end of the supplementary sear in the path of a portion of the breech bolt to be engaged and depressed from engagement with the Sear notch of the hammer when the breech bolt is in the firing position.

6. In a fire arm, the combination with the endwise movable recoil operated breech bolt and a hammer adapted to be moved to the cocked position by the backward movement of said bolt, said bolt being provided with a groove and having a shoulder, said hammer having a single sear notch, a trigger, said trigger having a projecting end to engage in said sear notch of said hammer, a trigger pin on which said trigger is fulcrumed, and a sear lever mounted at one end on said trigger pin and having when the trigger is pulled to release the `its other end adapted to project intosaid hammer successive automatic rngs of the breech bolt 1 groove or be, engaged by the re arm are produced. 10 shoulder of said breech bolt according to In testimony whereof I ailix' my signathel position of the breech bolt, said Sear ture. lever having a projection to engage the Sear notch of the hammer, all being arranged *Y CHARLES F; HUGHES- 

